RESEARCH AND CREATIVE WORKS EXPO

Out of the ten pieces that she performed she said that Crucifixion by composer John Payne (19121961) was her favorite because she was able to relate to it as it was about her “Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

The first piece that she sung entitled “Fac Ut Porte” from Stabat Mater was the most difficult to sing as she had to make sure she stayed in tune while singing the melismas within it.

The program that she provided included the translations to all of the songs that she sang in a foreign language. The songs mentioned and all of the others sang can be viewed by clicking on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r eBFLBPoR014jKSwprAKwPy7ispRx 9cZ/view

Ariel, who is a mezzo-soprano, has been a vocal student of Professor Diane Kesling over the past four years and has also sang in UA at Little Rock’s concert, women’s and chamber choirs, all while pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree as a first generation student.

She is a Mcnair Scholar, a Chancellor’s Leadership Corp Scholar, the former vice president of Zeta Phi Beta Xi Theta and has been a Student Ambassador for the past two years.

Just recently she placed third for her presentation at the Creative Writing Expo at Jack Stephens which was about high schoolers being ready for college in the Little Rock School District.

She will graduate on May 13, 2023 at the Jack Stephens Recreational Facility. Her future plans are to take a gap year to mentally prepare to get in the Master’s Program for a degree in Music Therapy and spend more time with her husband Caleb Montgomery, who she married last November. With all of her responsibilities and workload from school she shared that it’s been a trying time for them to spend quality time together.

She was also an assistant manager at Walgreens and had to resign from that position in order to finish well at school for this final semester. Her advice to other college students in their journey to a successful experience in college is to “keep up communications with your instructors and stay humble so that they can hold you accountable.”

BY VAL BELL